1 of 8

Write now Article Tools

Page 2 of 4

sequence, at least during the first 5-6 years. The course of the milestones starts to differ henceforth, depending on the wealth of experience accumulated during the first 6 years. But still, it is possible to glean some overall patterns in social development after that as well.

At the heart of social development is the eternal conundrum: "A society forms a person, and every member of it is personally responsible for his society".

The milestones of social development are as follows:

1. Interaction with the mother: The baby's first social interaction is with his mother. The bond that he builds with his mother is his first social bond. At birth, the infant is helpless and almost unsocial. He only has the very rudimentary physical functions such as vision, hearing, smelling, tasting, touch, temperature and perception of pain. With this limited armory, he is only capable of demonstrating the basic reflex survival skills such as sucking, swallowing, crying etc. But it is also the most vulnerable period to establish the sense of trust in the child - the trust that he is in a loving and caring environment. This trust is fundamental to the acquisition of the subsequent social skills. We learn only from an environment that we trust. At around 2-3 months, the baby shows a little more neuro-muscular control and starts to fixate its eyes on a face, smile, respond to the mother's smile and voice.

2. Interaction with familiar persons: By 4 months, the baby is ready for the next milestone: more social interactions with adults other than the mother. The baby starts responding to other familiar adults, allows itself to be soothed and cuddled by others and starts preliminary responses such as joy, distress, fear, interest, surprise or shock. He shows definite enjoyment at being near people, playing with them, responding to their stimulus, displaying attention seeking behavior such as laughing and shouting. He also demonstrates a marked preference for known persons as against strangers.

3. Interaction with others: At around 10 - 12 months, the child has acquired more movement and speech and starts to exhibit curiosity and sensory exploration. He also starts to recognize himself as an individual separate from the mother and is ready to make more friends with other adults as well. He moves to the next social milestone: interactions with other non-familiar adults. Though he exhibits stranger anxiety, he still allows himself to be wooed and socialized by other adults depending on their

• << previous page
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about The crucial years in a child's behavioral development?
We want to hear your view. Write now!